24 days of kitchen oceanography

Each day a new experiement will be posted here. Reveal what is hidden behind the windows by clicking on the arrows below.

Introduction

Day 1

Main content

Layers in the ocean

Day 1

01.12.2020

Why is there green water floating on top of clear water?

Photo:

Mirjam Glessmer, GFI

Experiment 1:

We prepare salt water that tastes like sea water (approximately 7 teaspoons of salt per 1 liter of water) and put some of it into a glass. We then add an ice cube that we froze from water that was dyed with food coloring. As soon as the ice cube starts melting, the colored melt water will form a new layer near the surface, floating on top of the clear salt water.

Chapter 1: Layers in the ocean

Usually, we only come into contact with the ocean’s surface or a few meters below it. But the ocean is on average 4km deep and consists of many different layers. When it is cold enough, ice floats on top. In warmer regions, the warmest water is closest to the surface. Underneath, there are many different layers: the colder and saltier the water, the further down the layer is located. Without any external influences, the layers of water rest stably on top of each other and only very slowly mix due to the movement of individual molecules.

Prepare for day 2:

Put cool pack into freezer.